right click

Manaplas S.A. Cargo Truck

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

As reviewed in a post last week, the Venezuelan company Manaplas S.A. produced a military toy line that included very similar versions of the TimMee Patton tank, Willys MD Jeep and field cannon. They also happened to produce this M35 Cargo truck. It was shipped separately and therefore not available for the first review. Unlike the other vehicles mentioned in that post, the cargo truck has the exact dimensions as its TimMee counterpart. However, the trucks are not from the same mold. There are very subtle differences between the two truck bodies and canopy tops. So subtle, in fact, that they're not even worth mentioning...or trying to describe, for that matter. The wider clip-on tires and rather bland wheels of the Manaplas are the only substantial differences. The plastic is pliable and has the same density as its U.S. counterpart and is said to have been cast in several colors. The applied star stickers are the same size as the ones used by Processed Plastic... as are the canvas top stickers (Marksman and Captain). So the big question still remains. Was the Manaplas cargo truck, Patton tank, Willys MD Jeep and field cannon molds produced by Moldrite (former division of the Processed Plastic Company)?

This person... http://www.ebay.com/usr/klarckan ...claims via email to have 12 of what appear to be the Manaplas trucks (unusual colors, wide wheels, etc.).

See them here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Unusual-COLOR-Vintage-Army-Military-Truck-Convoy-60s-70s-Made-in-Venezuela-/221368602645?pt=Toy_Soldiers&hash=item338a98d015and here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Unusual-COLOR-Vintage-Army-Military-Truck-Convoy-60s-70s-Made-in-Venezuela-/221368603068?pt=Toy_Soldiers&hash=item338a98d1bc

The plastic is a little thinner and a little less flexible that was used for the Tim-Mee trucks, but it's clear they're *very* close relatives.

True, they're not Tim-Mee, but the hot pink one will go nicely with the pink soldiers Tim-Mee/PP is producing now, and the bright red one will probably join the Fire Department part of my "dime-store toy" collection.